What I got for Christmas 2017 & first impressions!

I know that I'm quite late with this post but I thought some people might still be interested - I 'm nosy and love seeing what people receive for birthdays/Christmas! I was lucky enough to receive lots of gorgeous gifts but I haven't used everything yet because I was quite ill over Christmas and then got pneumonia at New Year so I definitely wasn't up for wearing makeup and I'm only just starting to feel back to myself! I know that not everyone likes these posts so feel free to skip and come back in a few days! Personally, I love them & I don't see them as bragging. I received lots of really lovely gifts and, as always, my favourites were the homemade cards from my nephews and nieces - there is nothing sweeter or more appreciated than those! Also, remember that I have a big family so I both give and receive a lot of gifts!

Around a week before Christmas, my phone died a death so my husband very kindly treated me to the iPhone 7 Plus and around this time, I was also contacted to see if I would be interested in trying a LuMee phone case so I jumped at the chance! I've never been one for taking selfies but this product is slowly changing my mind because that extra light is flattering and makes all the difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Kim K-W in terms of the numbers of selfies I take, but I can certainly see why she's a fan of the LuMee cases! The light gives a soft effect to the skin, rather than using the torch or flash on the phone, which is far too harsh for anyone over the age of 20! They have cases for the iPhone 6 all the way though to the X and also the Samsung S6 and S7. There is also a range of colours and designs to choose from but I went for the Duo Marble because I just can't resist anything marble and I wanted the front and rear facing lights for taking photos of products as well as selfies! It's a durable case but isn't bulky and I really can't see myself going back to a regular phone case any time soon!

Despite the fact that I have enough cosmetics to last me a lifetime, I always receive some beauty products for Christmas and I'm not complaining! Everyone knows that I'm a palette addict and I was lucky enough to receive four this Christmas! They are Pat McGrath Labs Mothership II Eyeshadow Palette Sublime, Natasha Denona Lila Palette, Too Faced Chocolate Gold Eyeshadow Palette and Colourpop I Think I Love You palette. I cannot rave about all of them enough! Despite the huge variations in price, they are all very high quality in terms of pigmentation and blendability. I will have individual reviews coming soon so please let me know if you have a preference for which one I start with!

I received five Charlotte Tilbury products - Filmstar Bronze & Blush, Brow Lift Pencil, Legendary Brows, Colour Chameleon in Dark Pearl and English Beauty Lipstick. I was very excited when I saw that Bronze & Blush was being released, although I would prefer a trio, which would include bronzer, blush and highlighter similar to the Urban Decay Naked Flush palettes. There is a brush included with this cheek duo, which isn't with the Bronze & Glow palette. It's a nice addition but given that this set costs £11 more than the Bronze & Glow duo, it might just put it out of the reach of some people. That being said - I love it! The blush is the kind of shade I tend to gravitate towards because soft peachy-pinks and the finely milled texture of the blush makes it so easy to use. I hope it is released in more shades for other skin tones. I really love Legendary Brows - the wand is so tiny and it gives fuller looking brows without looking at all harsh. I think the Brow Lift shade that I have may be too light for me so I will try to exchange that and I have yet to use the Colour Chameleon but I'm really looking forward to doing so - I'm really into quick eye products at the moment! I also have yet to wear the lipstick - I'll wait until I am completely germ-free but the colour is stunning and I already know that I love the formula of Charlotte's Matte Revolution Lipsticks from the others I have in my collection.

I was delighted to receive a new mascara, especially one that has been on my wishlist for a while - it's Armani Eccentrico and I absolutely love it! It really gives the false lash effect that I love! I didn't get along well with the original Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer but I am actually really enjoying using the Anti-Aging version. I also received two lip products - a Pat McGrath lipstick and lip pencil in the shades Sextrology (lipstick) and Buff (lip pencil). The texture of the lip pencil is absolutely dreamy - soft but not so soft that it will break, also not stiff enough to drag on your lips. It's so comfortable to use and this particular shade is a pinky nude, which is my go-to kind of colour. It is a traditional lip pencil as in it needs to be pared, however it comes with a sharpener in the box, which is pretty handy. I adore the packaging of the lipstick - sleek black with gold lips and the lipstick itself is intensely pigmented, creamy but not overly slippy and very comfortable to wear. Both are pretty long-lasting so I'm very impressed!

I tend to use budget body products so when I receive any fancy body creams, I am delighted! I received Rituals Sakura Body Cream, which leaves my skin smelling delicious and feeling smooth and soft.

In terms of skincare, I received two gift sets (both boxes have since been recycled!) - one from Peter Thomas Roth and the other from Belif. The Peter Thomas Roth set contained one of my favourite skincare discoveries of 2017; Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream and a sample size of the matching serum and cleanser. The Belif set contains a full size The True Cream Moisturising Bomb and deluxe mini sizes of Moisturising Eye Bomb and Hungarian Water Essence. All three products combine to leave my skin plump, nourished and as smooth as a baby's bum!

My cats are very clever and they managed to buy a bottle of Tiffany Eau De Parfum for me. I adore the sparkling scent of this perfume and, of course, the diamond shaped bottle is perfection! I also received an Armani Diamonds Gift Set and Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense. I have wanted that Jo Malone perfume for so long so was delighted to find it under the tree on Christmas morning!

Of course, no Christmas is complete without pyjamas, fluffy socks, notebooks and chocolate! At this stage, you are probably bored reading so I won't list everything else but I've shown some of  the clothing & accessories in the photo above! I was thoroughly spoilt again this year and I appreciate every single gift and I will use all of them regularly!

If you've done a similar post, please leave your link below because I love seeing what people get for Christmas! If not, I'd love to hear how your Christmas went and what your favourite gift was?

Thanks for reading! 

Oh and P.S. I'm now on a spending ban because I'm going to New York in March! That was my main pressie!

All products are bought by me, unless otherwise stated. The LuMee case was kindly sent to me and that part of the post is written in collaboration with Nakturnal (words and opinion are my own). Everything else was gifted to me by family and friends. Opinion is always my own.